SAV Systems has supplied LoadTracker 15kWe/30kWth combined heat and power (CHP) units to several phases of the Caspian Wharf residential development in East London.
Selected by MLM Consulting Engineers, a total of nine LoadTracker units have been installed across three central energy plant rooms and will deliver low carbon heating to apartments and commercial units, as well as electrical power to landlord’s areas, at Caspian Wharf.
Developed by The Berkeley Group, Caspian Wharf is a brownfield site development on the Limehouse Cut that comprises contemporary studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments with a mix of both private and social housing. The Berkeley Group has a strong commitment to sustainability so a low carbon design was central to the design.
For the largest energy centre, MLM selected five SAV LoadTracker CHP units and 3 x 1,000 litre heat storage vessels to serve the 289 apartments. “The CHP was a key element in our energy plan for the development, helping us to reduce emissions and meet Local Authority requirements in compliance with the London Plan,” recalled MLM Technical Director Colin Bowen. “The CHP was sized to meet heat loads while ensuring that all of the power generated was used to meet the parasitic loads of the building with no predicted export to the national grid. This arrangement ensures that we minimise the use of mains electricity and the high carbon emissions associated with it.”
SAV calculate that the CHP plant is expected to produce nearly 480,000kWh of electrical power and over 950,000kWh of heat per annum. The installation is projected to reduce CO2 emissions by 113 tonnes per annum, compared to a conventional mains electricity/gas-fired boiler arrangement.
A key criterion in the specification of SAV LoadTracker units was their ability to modulate, matching the varying heat demand and ensuring that the electricity generated never exceeds demand. This also helps to ensure that the CHP will maintain efficiency if other energy saving initiatives reduce demand in the future, with the opportunity to connect to off-site district heating networks which are predicted to be introduced to the area.